Gold Line, city representatives address Pomona residents, property owner talk about the effects of the light rail line on northern Pomona

A group of Pomona residents and property owners listened to Pomona administrators and transportation experts Tuesday evening talk about the pros and cons of plans to build the Azusa to Montclair segment of the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension.

Representatives of the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority told those who attended the information meeting at the Palomares Park Community Center that the project is going into the preliminary engineering phase and funding to pay for the project must still be secured.

Although the project will bring with it economic development opportunities the city has two major concerns, said Brad Johnson, the city's planning manager.

The city has concerns related to the proposed construction of a bridge that would carry Gold Line trains over Towne Avenue along with concerns about traffic congestion problems that will affect North Garey Avenue.

The city would like the project plans changed so that the Gold Line tracks are built below ground to accommodate the light rail line, Metrolink commuter rail and freight train tracks, Johnson said.

Construction Authority representatives said the current plans for the project have been developed with the goal of bringing the light rail extension to fruition and doing so cost effectively.

Through the construction of a bridge at Towne Avenue traffic flow will improve in the areas, said Eugene Kim, vice president and senior planning manager at the firm of Parsons Brinckerhoff. Kim is the project manager for the Azusa to Montclair extension.

Garey Avenue congestion could be addressed with an adjustment of sensors that cause railroad gates to close and block the path of vehicles when they detect oncoming train traffic even when a train is present but not moving, Kim said.

The sensors can be adjusted but representatives of the rail agency that controls said the sensors run appropriately, he said.